Strong families are the foundation of strong communities.
Here in Fresno County, we see every day how family structure shapes public safety, education, and economic stability. When families thrive and neighborhoods are safe, children do better in school and our local economy grows. When families fall apart, the cost is measured not just in dollars, but in broken lives.
Unfortunately, California’s policies increasingly undermine families instead of supporting them. Sacramento has created systems that replace parents with government programs and erode community responsibility.
Housing is one example. SB 9, SB 10, and state mandates under the Regional Housing Needs Assessment, have stripped local control and driven up the cost of construction. Families in Fresno County are being priced out of homeownership, one of the cornerstones of stability and independence. Homeownership isn’t just about owning property, it’s about building roots and responsibility.
Education policy is another area where the state has gone too far. AB 1955, which restricts schools from notifying parents about their children’s gender-related decisions, directly undermines the parent-school partnership. Here in Fresno County, we’ve seen how parental involvement leads to higher student success. Districts like Clovis Unified prove that when families and educators work together, children thrive. State law should strengthen that bond, not break it.
The same pattern appears in childcare and welfare policy. Sacramento continues to expand bureaucratic programs that favor institutional systems over family-based care. Rather than empowering parents with flexibility and choice, the state too often dictates how families should raise their children.
The consequences show up in our public safety and social service systems. Fresno County law enforcement and social workers are on the front lines dealing with the fallout of broken homes, addiction, crime, and homelessness. Programs like “Housing First” have failed because they treat homelessness as a housing issue rather than addressing the deeper family and moral breakdown at its core.
Locally, we’ve taken a different approach. Fresno County’s All 4 Youth partnership connects behavioral health services directly to families through schools. Our Responsible Fatherhood programs help parents rebuild relationships and stability. These efforts work because they focus on family involvement, not state control.
If California truly wants to lift up its most vulnerable, we must start by strengthening families. That means restoring local control over schools and housing, ending policies that discourage marriage, supporting faith-based and community organizations, and empowering parents to raise their children without government interference.
In the Central Valley, we know that strong families build strong communities. It’s time for Sacramento to recognize that the most effective social program ever created isn’t another agency or regulation, it’s the family itself.
